After completing this semester, I now have a better idea of what type of internship I would want to get within the communications field. This class has helped me realize what my strengths and weaknesses would be in an internship. Through this class, I know I would want to work with a magazine or website that is more blogging or short articles. I hope that during the internship I would be able to work under someone who is more in the journalism field or photojournalism. I would also be very interested in an internship at a PR firm of some sort. I think I would excel in either, given the opportunity to practice my skills in a real world setting.

When hiring me for an internship I know the employers would look at both the writing that I have posted, as well as the photography I have taken. The writing section of my portfolio has both feature stories and a press release. The feature stories would help me gain an internship at either a magazine, website, or newspaper. Showing that have some experience writing a feature story can demonstration that I would not be starting from scratch. Also, the press release would be a good part of my portfolio to show a potential employer at a PR firm because they write press releases on a regular basis. I think the photography will also be an important aspect to getting an internship. Today’s society looks at pictures first and if they find them interesting might read the rest of the article. Therefore it is important that an employer could see that I have experience using a camera and taking photographs of both people and landscape. Overall, I think the entire portfolio will be beneficial for gaining an internship in the communication world. Employers will see that I can design the layout of a website and create it. In addition, they will see that I have experience in videography, premier, and Photoshop. Although they might not be what I plan to do as a career, they will demonstrate that I have a background in using all of these programs and using the technology that could possibly be used throughout my internship. I think the layout, organization, and design of my website showcase who I am as a person and how I will be professional and organized, but also a little of the creativity I could bring to an internship.

Check out my portfolio here!

Each aspect of class was important for our project. My group and I chose to make a new product and create a marketing campaign for an environmentally friendly product. This meant we had to create an advertisement, homepage for a website, and a commercial for our project. Because we had to create something using both Photoshop and Premiere, each of us would be able to use our strengths, while improving our weaknesses.

Photoshop was necessary in order to create our logo, which we used on all of the parts of our project. I think having the logo on all aspects of our project really made our project cohesive. A logo is often the most important part of a product because it is what people notice first about a product. Because of this, it was important for us to use Photoshop in order to create a memorable logo. Also, I think without Photoshop, the commercial would not have looked as professional. In addition, Photoshop was also needed to edit the watch in order to make it look more like our indicator. In certain parts of the project, like the commercial, it was difficult to make the indicator look exactly like we wanted. But because of Photoshop, the indicator turned out very well on the homepage and magazine advertisement.

I also think that Premiere was an important part of our project because without the commercial people would have completely understood what our product was and how it worked. Premiere was useful for this project because we were able to add enough b-roll to the commercial to show how the indicator could be used. The skills I learned throughout the class helped me make the commercial look professional and I’m happy with how it came out. I think a lot of our project was trial and error. We realized with Photoshop it is easy to get carried away, often times making the homepage and magazine ad too busy. Our mock up of the website took us a few times to get it right, but Photoshop makes it easy to change many aspects of a project. Although Photoshop was not my strength, I think that it was most useful for our project.

Overall, I think I worked best on the commercial because I enjoy working on Premiere. I think as a very detail orientated person, it was easier for me to precisely cut parts of a video rather than try and create something on Photoshop. I found that I was better at putting everything together rather than creating something from scratch.

Watch our commercial here

“Hi, do you mind if I take a few pictures of you for a communications class?” After taking a few minutes to take some photographs, Sarra continued on to her class.

That’s how I first met Sarra, the second week of classes, but little did I know that she was one of the most fascinating people I had ever met. I learned from seeing her around campus that Sarra had grown up out of the United States and had just previously moved to New York. As we were sitting down to begin the interview, I knew her story would be intriguing but I was curious about how she ended up at a small liberal arts school in Elon, North Carolina.

Sarra has lived abroad for essentially her entire life and spent a lot of time traveling to various countries around the world, including Bali, the French Alps, and Australia. She was born in Tunisia, but self identifies as both Tunisian and Moroccan because her father is from there. She grew up in Tunisia, though her family moved to Australia for a short period, and eventually moved to New York her senior year of high school. During the interview, Sarra explained that she has spent a majority of her life traveling, so to her family is a large part of what home is for her.

She credits her constant change in scenery as the reason behind her love for photography. She insisted that she takes photographs of people and nature because she isn’t sure when, if at all, she will ever see these people and places again. However, she also explained that she doesn’t mind moving around because it’s not normal for people to stay in the same place their entire life.

When asked about what she wanted to do with her life and where she saw herself in ten years, Sarra immediately discussed how her father’s career played a large role in her life. Sarra described how being a UN child has made her childhood much different than other student’s around her. To follow in her father’s footsteps, Sarra explained how she was doing everything she could in order to make her dream a reality. Since moving to New York, Sarra has loved living in the United States. Her hope is to stay here in the United States or at least visit with her family yearly.

Just a first year in college, Sarra has lived a life many people, including myself, dream of. Her interview was filled with advice that anyone could listen to. She believes family is the most important thing; sometimes it is necessary to have bad things in your life to value the good things, and that everyone has something special about them.

See the documentary here

Prior to researching my topic of proper electronic disposal, I knew very little about the issue. I only knew that you shouldn’t throw them away, but why or where else I should have disposed of them was unknown. I also did not think it was that big of an issue to our environment. After doing a lot of research, I found out that irresponsibly disposing of electronics was just as detrimental to our environment as the every day lack of recycling of paper and plastic. I learned that if you do not dispose of it correctly, it could also end up in a global dumping ground, where the toxins would leach into our drinking water and possibly food. I was also unaware just how many electronics you could dispose of. Anything ranging from a phone, to hard drives, to fax machines can be taken to a recycling center. After all this research, I realized how important it is to correctly recycle your electronics. I also really enjoyed learning that majority of the companies that take in these electronics often reuse or resell them instead of trying to break them apart. This way less waste is made. I’ve personally tried to recycle for many years now, but I never thought about recycling electronics, in fact many remain in my drawers at home. I didn’t realize until after completing research that people do get rid of electronics much more than necessary, especially when a new model comes out. After this project, I realize how important it is to properly get rid of any unused or broken electronics so that they can find a proper home or be disposed of in the best manner. This also made me more aware of all different kinds of recycling, like batteries and fast fashion. As well as, just how vital it is that every takes these issues seriously. I was pleased to learn that much of the recycled electronics are actually reused. In my opinion, this is the best way to recycle because it has the best effects for the environment. Overall, this project really did make me think electronics were one of the most beneficial things to recycle; therefore, recycling centers should be making a large campaign to encourage everyone to properly discard their unused electronics. I think now that electronics are such a prominent part of people’s lives, and being replaced every 18 months, it is more important, now than ever before, that people learn and understand the importance of correctly disposing of electronics.

On September 12 at 3 p.m. historian Tom Magnuson will discuss the history of the Alamance Battleground and its importance in three different battles. “This is an incident that is not very well-known today, but was very well-known in colonial times,” said Elise Cox, an Alamance Battleground Historical Site employee.

Twenty minutes outside of the Elon bubble is the Alamance Battleground Historic Site, which was once home to the last battle of the War of the Regulators. This battle, which began and ended on May 16 1771, was between rebel farmers and the British Governor Tryon’s militia with the help of General Waddell’s militia.

The battle was a quick victory for the British militia. Although the militia took over the Regulators quickly, the Battle of Alamance was an example of the dissatisfaction of the colonist and would be foreshadow what was to come during the American Revolution.

A few years into the revolution, John and Rachel Allen, built the house for their 10 surviving children. There they shared both domestic and farm work in order to survive. Their home is an example of how average families lived during this time.

The house, built in 1780, that now sits on the 40 acres of land, once was once located in Snow Camp. It was not until relatives of the Allen family donated the house to North Carolina that it was relocated to the battleground in 1967.

Visitors that choose are able to take a tour of the house and walk the grounds of both the war memorials. On one side of the road is the Allen house, with a garden and smokehouse, as well as picnic tables for visitors.

Today much of the original house is still standing, including a working fireplace and some of the ceiling beams. In the original house there was also a chest, sewing loom, and grandfather clock, which showed their wealth.

The other side of the road holds monuments for those that lost their lives during the battle. “I like the monuments… it has been here since 1880,” said Bill Thompson. In fact, the monuments is over 100 years old and brought in 4,000 people when it was revealed. The monuments commemorate the soldiers that lost their lives during the battle.

Inside the new facilities, guests are invited to watch a short video on the prelude to Battle of Alamance, and the battle itself. “I love telling the story,” Cox said, regarding the history of the battleground.

The workers at the historical site are also able to stay at the Allen house. In fact, one of the workers said that she and a few of the other workers were able to stay overnight in the house and live like the Allen family once did. She also mentioned that her daughters, both Girl Scouts, were able to experience life in the last 1700’s.

Overall, the historical site is a place to remember those that fought for the colonist and to learn about what life was like during the late 18^th century. The battleground has become a large historical site for the people of North Carolina.

http://www.nchistoricsites.org/alamance/allhou.htm

http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/533/entry

Before beginning this project, I wasn’t worried about asking strangers to take their pictures. What I wasn’t ready for was working the camera. I had taken pictures before; however, when it came time to make sure you have the right amount of light, and a fast enough shutter speed it became much harder. In the end there proved to be a few obstacles.

First, I went into this exercise with very little practice in taking professional pictures; therefore, I was a little lost when it came to working the camera efficiently, staging my models, finding the right light, and the best background. I had to make sure the aperture was just right, the white balance wasn’t too off, and the ISO was perfect.

The next obstacle was working with strangers. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought to ask people to help with the project, but after just a few shots they were no longer interested, which made them challenging to direct. Those that were photogenic were great to work with, but it was a little uncomfortable trying to tell them how to pose when they had never been shot before.

I really loved shooting the lacrosse player. The lighting became difficult to work with because the sun made the picture too bright. However, once I adjusted the aperture there was a little less exposure. The male sitting down in the quad was very timid at first; therefore, it took a few times before I could get him to enjoy being behind the camera. Lastly, the female was very photogenic, which made my job a lot easier. When I first started shooting her there was a little bit of a shadow in the picture. I had to adjust the settings in order to give the right amount of light.

Overall, the most challenging part of the exercise was keeping everything in mind while shooting. It wasn’t until I put the pictures on the computer that I realized how many things can look poor in a picture. I wanted to get the perfect shot, but it proved to be much more difficult than expected. I found in the end, even while focusing on everything, it was a lot of work to find even just one photograph I liked.

Mario Testino is a famed fashion photographer who has shot many of today’s new powerhouse super models, such as Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, and Gigi Hadid. Before his success as a top fashion photographer, Testino was a Lima, Peru native, born in 1954. He attended numerous universities, including two in Peru and the University of San Diego. He would later move to London for internships with John Vickers and Paul Nugent. It was about this time that he got his first big break with British Vogue.

Testino has had the opportunity to shoot some of the most famous people in the world. He has stated that his shoot in 1977, with the late Princess of Wales, Diana, was “one of the greatest experience in life” and helped to catapult his career. He has since shot the likes of Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, many members of the royal family, and Madonna. His work has been published in numerous magazines such as eleven editions of Vogue, Vanity Fair, V Magazine, and GQ. Testino has also worked with brands, such as Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli, which are some of the largest names in fashion. With such a wide range of clients, it is apparent why Testino continues to be commissioned for his work.

He stated in an interview that he gets much of his inspiration from his childhood in Peru, which include mixing both masculine and feminine styles. His main focus while shooting is to create a theme of sensuality rather than sexuality, which he believes is the most important. Testino is known for his close relationships with both his clients and the models. This helps to create a better outcome for the magazine publication. The more comfortable the models are, the better the shots will turn out. Testino is known for his photographs full of bright colors and the perfectly designed locations. Testino is not afraid to take a risk, unlike many other fashion photographers, which makes a lot of his photographs stick out. Not many of Testino’s photos are the same. As a result, the audience is always waiting to see what he will be presenting next.

The two pictures shown are from one of his many Vogue shoots and his towel series. The Vogue cover, featuring Blake Lively, is subtly stunning. Testino designed the shoot so that Lively looked natural and allowed the clothes to work with her. The clothing he and Blake chose draws you in, but because of how stunning Lively is, the first thing the reader notices is her face. The lighting in this photo, again, attracts the reader to Blake rather than the clothing. In this specific photo there is a lack of background, which allows the reader to immediately focus on Blake and the clothes she is wearing. Lively’s pose also portrays her as a powerful and confident woman, which are similar to many of Testino’s photos. There is an immediate color contrast of her skin tone and hair with the burgundy sweater. However, they do not compete with each other, rather compliment. Overall, the main focus of the photo is Blake Lively and how the clothes work with her.

Mario Testino has also created many of his own solo exhibits. His most recent exhibit is the Towel Series. In this series he shoots celebrities, such as Amanda Seyfried, Emily Ratajkowski, and Sienna Miller in nothing but towels. He has expressed that he believes the towel series allows those being photographed to feel free because he gives no instruction during the shoots. Because of the atmosphere during the shoot, the photos come across as natural. Majority of the photos are in black and white, which draws you to the picture because most photographs nowadays use colors to draw in the attention of the audience. The simplicity of this photo makes the reader want to know more about why the model is in only a towel. There is nothing else in the photo but the model, which again signifies freedom and simplicity. Each picture in this series is different, but has a similar message. In much of Testino’s work, the main focus is strong women who can stand by themselves. This empowers both those on the cover and reading the magazine to think positively of themselves and other women around them. Ultimately, Testino’s work will stand the test of time because of his daring, but timeless photographs.